The Walking Dead Watch: Season 3, Episode 11 - I Ain't A Judas

"Adolescence is a 20th century invention," says the Governor, after categorizing anyone thirteen and over as adults. Seems like a pretty severe statement, but in the reality they're living in, the term "adolescence" does seem to be one more luxury humanity can't afford to indulge. While the kids adults at Woodbury are becoming child soldiers, Carl has been upped to "ready," according to his father, who seems to be evening out a bit. He still needs a shower.

I shouldn't complain about the dirtiness of the characters. The sheen of sweat, smudged faces and grimy (heh) clothing among the cast of The Walking Dead is part of what sets the series apart from other post-apocalyptic shows that feature casts that always look a little too showered for the setting (I'm looking at you Revolution).

Moving on to more pressing topics, tonight's episode had the two sides regrouping, and Andrea caught in the middle. Andrea "snuck" off to the prison to visit her old friends and get caught up on all of the plot developments she's missed out on. "Where's Shane?" Yeah, she's that far behind. But she was caught up pretty quickly. There was some tension and wariness among the prison group when she arrived, but all things considered, she was received rather well. She might have even stuck around if she had wanted to. But the prison group had other plans for Andrea. They want her to help get them inside.

Of course, Andrea's not just going to help them hurt all of those people. The Governor may be a sinister man, and even Andrea seems to be willing to consider that a reality, but there are a lot of innocent people at Woodbury. And in addition to its residents, there's also Woodbury to consider. The town itself holds meaning to Andrea. On her way to the prison, she came across Tyrese and his group and she sent them in the direction of Woodbury, assuring them a safe place to stay. If the Governor goes down, what happens to Woodbury? She might not be willing to risk it.

Carol encouraged Andrea to give the Governor the night of his life and then kill him. Surprisingly cold words from Carol, but then again, she was standing next to Axl, enjoying his company and some conversation when the Governor put a bullet through the man's head. It's not especially difficult to understand why Carol might think the Governor deserves to be blindsided.

Of course, Andrea didn't kill the Governor when she eventually returned to Woodbury. It seems far too soon for a twist like that. But it was interesting to see her considering it as she hovered naked over his sleeping body. She could have killed him if she wanted to. He's put his trust in her in sleeping next to her, clearly. Though the Governor was vulnerable to Andrea, he wasn't oblivious to her absence. Andrea confided in Milton before she left Woodbury, and Milton brought that information to the Governor, who encouraged him to help her. So the Governor is still somewhat in control.

Rick also seems to be getting his head back in the game. At the start of the episode, he had Hershel telling him to get it together and his son suggesting that he step down as leader to take a break. But at the end of the episode, when Beth was singing her song - a moment that I found a little depressing, though I think it was supposed to be uplifting - he was holding his daughter and talking to Hershel and Daryl about his plans, which includes going on a run with Michonne. He also told Daryl that Merle's in his hands, so he'll be serving as his brother's keeper and we'll be waiting for the next thing to go wrong there. So it seems like Michonne and Merle are both staying, but Rick's not letting his guard down with either of them. And we know there's some bad blood between Merle and at least one of the prison group. Glen was pretty up front about how he felt about Merle hanging around. But with the Governor posing a threat, Merle may be worth having around. Or he'll make things worse. Time will tell.

There wasn't a whole lot of zombie action in tonight's episode, but we did get to see MIlton and Andrea neutralize one of them but cutting off his arms and stomping out his teeth. Gross.

"I Ain't a Judas" didn't offer much in the way of action, but it did fill in the blanks for some characters. Tyrese told the Governor that Rick's crazy but the rest of the prison people are ok. And Michonne and the others told Andrea that it was actually the Governor who shot first during the recent attack, and that the Governor tried to kill Michonne. If she wasn't already doubting the Governor, Andrea has a bit more reason to do so now. But she might not be ready to believe it, considering her growing feelings toward him. The question is, whether or not it'll be too late for her, if she eventually does see how dangerous he really is.